Handle device for necked containers



May 6, 1969 FIG] HANDLE DEVICE FOR NEGKED CONTAINERS Filed April 10, 1967 W. R. SKILLEN FIGS I FIG. 4

l.\\ 'ISN'IUA. WILLIAM R. SKILLEN Mala 6y ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,442,547 IIA NDLE DEVICE FOR NECKED CONTAINERS William R. Skillen, London, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Somervrlle Industries Limited, London, Ontario, Canada Filed Apr. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 629,557 Int. Cl. B65d 21/02, 25/28 US. Cl. 294-872 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to bottle carrying devices and is particularly concerned with a hand grip for holding one or more crown capped bottles by engagement on the necks of the bottles and the under sides of the skirt portions of the crown caps.

While the bottle carrier of the invention may be used to good advantage with one bottle, it is particularly useful when used with two or more bottles as it permits the user to carry the bottles with one hand. The carrier of the invention is also particularly adapted to manufacture from paperboard and can be sold in a collapsed condition for more ready shipment and storage.

Small bottle carriers which operate by engagement over the necks of the bottles are known but suffer the disadvantage that where they are used on crown capped bottles, they leave exposed the relatively sharp under sides of the skirt portions of the caps and it is common to have portions of the hand contact these edges which is, at the least, uncomfortable and, at the most, dangerous as it can result in cutting of the hand. Further, due to the narrow width of the top of the known bottle carriers of this type, the space available across the top of the known carriers is limited and is considered unsatisfactory for use as product identification and promotional material.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a crown capped bottle carrier which provides protection for the hand against the possibility of engagement by the hand of the sharp under sides of the skirt portions of the crown caps.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved bottle carrier of the type aforesaid which provides better grip on the bottles than bottle carriers known heretofore.

The above and further objects of the invention will be more thoroughly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a paperboard blank for forming a crown capped bottle carrier of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a crown capped bottle carrier of the invention as set up from the paperboard blank illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the crown capped bottle carrier shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as engaged on the necks of a pair of side by side bottles; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the assembly of FIG. 3.

The carrier of the invention is preferably formed of paperboard but it might be manufactured of sheet metal or plastic. Further, while the preferred illustrated embodiment of the invention illustrates the manner in which the 3,442,547 Patented May 6, 1969 carrier can be set up from the fiat paperboard blank, it will be appreciated that it may be molded of plastic substantially in the form shown in FIG. 2, Le. without being collapsible. One of the chief advantages of forming the carrier of paperboard, apart from the low cost of this material, is that is may be formed of a pre-glued blank and shipped and stored in the blank form. Thus, savings in cost relative to a plastic type which is not collapsible is achieved in storage and shipping costs as well.

When formed of paperboard, the blank used is illustrated in FIG. 1. The blank essentially consists of four main panels 10 to 16 and a locking strip 18 defined by a plurality of fold lines. The panels are a top panel 10, two side panels 12 and 14 and a bottom panel 16. A further smaller panel 20 is positioned between the top panel 10 and one of the side panels 12. The panel 20 as well as a portion of top panel 10 are glue coated.

The bottom panel 16 is provided with two circular openings 22 and 24, while the two side panels 12 and 14 are each provided with a pair of substantially rectangular cooperating gripper openings 26 to 32. The two circular openings are sized to fit over the necks of the particular bottles to be carried while the rectangular openings 26 to 32 are sized to engage the normal crown caps which are usually the same size on all sizes of bottles.

In setting up the carrier from the blank shown in FIG. 1, it is folded over on itself along the fold line positioned slightly to one side of the center line of panel 16, which then locates the outermost half of the locking strip 18 face to face with the small panel 20. Then the top panel 14 is folded over onto the other face of locking strip 18. The glued portion of panel 10 and the glued panel 20 thus engage both sides of the locking strip 18 and the folded blank is then permanently glued together. At this point the folded and glued blank is a substantially flat member which can be readily shipped and stored. To set up the blank for use, it is only necessary to fold the blank along the fold lines separating the two side panels from the panel 20 and the locking strip 18. This action is accompanied by folding of the blank also about the fold line separating the two side panels from the bottom panel 16.

All that is required to engage a pair of bottles is to simply press the carrier down over the necks of the bottles to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. By properly dimensioning the sizes of the various panels and the circular openings 22 and 24, a positive locking action under the side edges of the crown caps is achieved. The size of the openings 22 and 24 is so selected that they bind on the neck of the bottle just as the lower edges of the cooperating gripper openings 26 to 32 are snapping over the skirt portions of the crown caps. Thus, the side walls 12 and 14 are bowed out slightly as shown in FIG. 4 which has the effect of maintaining the lower edges of these openings beneath the under sides of the crown caps.

As can best be seen in FIG. 4, the top panel 10, which is slightly larger in width compared to the width of the crown caps, serves to space the hand away from the sides of the caps. Furthermore, the lateral side edges of the top panel provide edges against which the hand can be squeezed to provide better grip on the carrier by the hand. In addition, the large upper surface of top panel 10 provides adequate space for advertising and product identification copy material.

Removal of the carrier from the bottles when it is desired to use the latter simply involves inserting the fingers in the ends of the carrier and spreading the side walls out until they snap back from the skirt portions of the caps, whereupon the carrier is lifted straight up to disengage from the bottles.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A handle device for crown capped bottles comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a pair of opposed side panels extending between said top panel and said bottom panel, said top, bottom and side panels being substantially coextensive, each of said side panels connecting with said top panel along lines spaced inwardly of the longitudinal side edges of said top panel, said lines being so positioned that said top panel side edges overhang said side panels and the crown caps of received bottles whereby said top panel side edges serve to prevent contact between the hand and said crown caps said side panels being resilient and formed with at lease one pair of cooperating gripper openings adapted to spring over said crown caps to locate the lower edges of said cooperating gripper openings in gripping engagement with the under sides of the skirt portions of said crown caps in use, said bottom panel being an opening for each pair of said cooperating gripper openings to permit the necks of bottles to be admitted between said side panels for engagement of said crown caps by said gripper openings.

2. A handle device as claimed in claim 1 in which said device includes a locking panel consisting of an extension of one of said side panels which is glued to the under surface of said top panel and to top surface of a folded back portion of a small extension of the opposite side panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,975,891 3/ 1961 Stone 20665 3,016,259 1/1962 Lawrence 29487.2 3,166,190 1/ 1965 Conrades 20665 3,186,545 6/ 1965 Conrades 20665 3,257,066 6/ 1966 Williams 20665 3,311,402 3/ 1967 Spandock 20665 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 20665 

